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As the California football team continues its first week of spring ball, some of the new players are trying to adjust to life at Cal. One of those new players, junior-college transfer defensive tackle Trevor Kelly has bounced around a bit before ending up in Berkeley. The native of South San Francisco spent his freshman year at Sacramento State before transferring to College of San Mateo for his sophomore season. CalBears.com had a chance to sit down and chat with how Kelly is enjoying his new team.

CalBears.com: What’s been your first impression of the team through the first week of spring ball?Trevor Kelly: I’m just really thankful and grateful to be a part of this team. I love it at Cal. I’m ready to play football.

CB: How difficult has it been playing on your third team in three years?TK: The game of football has really changed my life, both in positive and negative ways. I really appreciate the game. As opportunities come, I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity to keep playing, just like with this opportunity to play at Cal. I’m very blessed to be here.

CB: How do you like playing for Coach Tate?TK: I like Coach Tate; he’s a perfectionist. I’m looking forward to being coached by him. He’s really funny. He has a lot of jokes and one-liners. I respect him a lot. I respect what he’s done for the game. He’s very outgoing. He’s loud, but that’s what you need. He’s going to help everybody on the d-line perfect themselves.

CB: What are you working on in practice?TK: We’re just trying to get the technique down right now. I’m trying to figure out the game tempo, which is faster than what I’m used to. But I’m just having fun right now. I’m just a kid from South San Francisco enjoying my time up here at Cal.

CB:Being a Bay Area guy, did you follow Cal a lot when you were growing up?TK: When I came out of high school, I really wanted to go to Cal. I really looked up to Tyson Alualu. I came to a couple of Cal games. My brother used to work here. I came to a game once when Tyson was playing, so I got to watch him here. I liked the style of his game and the way he played.

CB:Besides football, what do you think of Cal in general?TK: I’m from the Bay Area, so I’m used to the weather and what not. Academically, it’s a lot different. I’m getting used to that. This degree is worth a lot to me, like everybody here. I’m definitely going to get my degree. As hard as it is, it’s one of my goals. I’m just thankful and blessed that I’m in this position right now.

CB:What are you studying?TK: I’m a sociology major. It’s a little bit new to me because I was a civil engineering major at Sacramento State. I had a short variety to choose from because I’m a Ju-Co guy. Sociology is interesting. I’m learning about people, and I like talking to people. I always have a big smile on my face. I liked to interact with people. I want to learn about how people act, and learn about poverty levels. I didn’t grow up in the worst lifestyle, but I didn’t have a lot of wealth either. Maybe I can have an impact on kids at that level. I’m learning about the social life, I guess.

CB: Have you had a “Welcome to Cal” moment?TK: Speaking about academics here, that’s a welcome to Cal moment. Academics are really hard here. I walk a lot. This campus is huge. Everybody here has one of those motorized scooters. That’s not for me. I’m too big for those things.

CB: Do you feel a sense of camaraderie with the other guys who came here with you like Devante Downs and Jonathan Johnson?TK: I’m close with a lot of my teammates. They all welcomed me with open arms. JJ and I are good friends, though. We talk about how we’re the new guys. JJ and I play D-line, so our lockers are close. We talk about life, trying to get to know each other. When we first got here, he slept in my dorm because he didn’t have a room to stay in yet. We’re all getting used to it here.